Harry Potter and the Crimson Blade
by Chuck Driss
Summary: The romantic heat will begin buildin' up onc Harry returns to school. Not an entirely romantic story, but it will have its moments. Lots of action and adventure. Please R/R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Out of Darkness

Harry Potter and the Crimson Blade  
  
Chapter 1 Out of Darkness.  
  
"My Lord, we have brought you these incompetent Muggles from the east side of the village. They said they knew where he lived, but when the got a taste of my wand," Malgon twirled his wand between his fingers, "they became a bit difficult. Now the are blubbering on about cheese, but if you would like, I can shut them up for you." Voldemort moved forward out of the shadows of the trees, and he saw the two Muggles, bound and sobbing on the ground. They were both fully grown men, one with brown hair and a small beard, the other with black hair, and wild, shiny eyes, yet they screamed and whined on the ground like a pair of children at the whip.  
  
"Quit your sniveling, fools," and Voldemort lashed out a hefty kick at the brown haired one, making him stop crying, but he continued to whimper.  
  
"Please, let me go. what did I do to you?" the man said in a hoarse voice. It looked difficult for him to talk, because he had been beaten so much that his lips were swollen and his mouth looked unmanageable.  
  
"I'll tell you what you did to me, Muggle, and I'll let you feel how angry I am about it as well." Voldemort pulled out his wand, a long thin strip of wood, blacker than the night around them.  
  
"No! Please no! I'll do what you want. anything." the brown haired man quailed at the sight of the wand, curling up into a ball.  
  
"You bastard!" screamed the black haired man. He suddenly jumped up, swinging his bound hands at Malgon. They hit Malgon square in the mask he was wearing, and Malgon collapsed, holding his face beneath the mask he wore. The black haired man sprinted into the night, dodging the trees that surrounded them. Voldemort held up his wand. "Avada Kadavra!" he shouted in a commanding voice, so that the air was suddenly filled with a blinding green light, and the shape of the deadly spell flew off into the night, thudding into the black haired man, killing him instantly. The man collapsed, no sign of death anywhere on his body, but a look of pure terror on his features.  
  
"Now that's better," said Voldemort, looking down at the brown haired man. "Now, I know you will tell me everything you know about this boy. Where he lives, and what sort of surrounding lie in the area, and what of his aunt and uncle, and of any mail he has sent, and birds flying from his house, etcetera. I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about." Voldemort smiled at the man, who looked back in horror at the pale white face, the slits of a nose, and those red, red eyes. He nodded slowly, still staring. Voldemort gestured to the darkness, and another black cloaked and hooded figure emerged from the trees, the blank white mask the only thing visible in the dark night. The figure would have seemed exactly like any of the other Death Eaters there, except that the man's right hand was completely silver. I looked like a prosthetic hand, perhaps for someone who had lost their hand in an accident. But this was no ordinary prosthetic; it moved with the fluidity of a normal hand, the digits working deftly as it twirled a wand casually. Voldemort smiled. "Wormtail, Wormtail." he said in a silky voice to the small cloaked figure in front of him. Wormtail shifted uneasily, the mask seemed to shift in uncertainty.  
  
"My Lord," Wormtail said in a squeaky, high pitched voice, "What would you ask of me?" the brown haired man lying captive on the ground noticed that the man named Wormtail seemed almost as frightened as he was.  
  
Voldemort flicked his wand, and the captive lifted off the ground, hovering a foot from where he had just been laying, spinning slowly. "Wormtail, you will go with Malgon, and you will bring the boy to me. This man claims he knows where this boy I speak of lays in hiding, but if he shows any sign of eluding you, kill him." Voldemort flicked his wand again, and the bonds around the captive's hands and feet flew of, snapping as they tore and the vanished without a trace. The man then fell flat on his face in front of the man named Wormtail, and the masked man lifted him off the ground with his silver hand, showing surprising strength. Malgon lifted himself up as well, a little trickle of blood coming from underneath the mask where his nose and undoubtedly been broken.  
  
"Get moving, Muggle," said Malgon, prodding the captive with his wand. The brown haired man moved off through the trees, and as he went, he saw a ghastly scene. As he walked, out of the darkness came more of the cloaked figures, all wearing the white masks, silent as shadows. There were many, and some seemed to suddenly appear, coming out from behind trees to joint the silent procession through the trees.  
  
"Faster, Muggle," said Malgon again, and at this a small flicker of rage burnt up inside the captive man.  
  
"My name is Gerard, not Muggle," he said with suppressed anger. Wormtail and Malgon snickered quietly, the only sound in the darkness.  
  
"I'd be a little nicer, if I were you," said Wormtail, and Gerard was surprised to see that suck a squeaky voice could hold such menace. "We get to finish you off, once you've done your job. But we'll go easy on you, if you do this with out messing up. Now move!" the group of cloaked figures walked on, and soon they came to the end of the trees. Gerard went forward, looking out into the small field that separated the town of Boggelty Hedge from the forest that was the edge of the farming area. The group swept out of the trees, and as they walked out into the field, they formed a half circle around Gerard as he stumbled forward, frightened. Even though he was considered taller than most men, Gerard saw that the cloaked figures around him seemed a head taller than he was at least, but that might have been because he was crouched over, a bruise in his back making it painful to walk upright. A barn appeared out of the gloom, and as they drew closer, a farm house came visible. They plodded quietly through the yard, and out onto a gravel road. Down the road glimmered a few small lights of the tow Boggelty Hedge. Finally, Gerard spoke, "The boy is there, in that town. Now, must I take you further?" his voice seemed hollow on the darkness, yet screamingly loud.  
  
"You have more to go, Muggle," said Wormtail, "Show us exactly where he lives." The group walked forward again, the half circle of cloaked figures staying silent in the dark.  
Harry Potter woke suddenly, his scar searing with a sudden jerk of pain. He winced, and then cried out as another wake cut through his head. "Tichondrius!" Harry shouted, and rolled off his small cot. The Auror woke instantly, swinging his legs off the bed and standing. Delavan Tichondrius the Auror stood before Harry as he pulled on a dark blue cloak.  
  
"Harry, what is it? Is he near?" Delavan asked, worry on his face. Harry clenched his forehead in pain, rocking on his heals as he talked through gritted teeth.  
  
"My scar, its. hurting again." said Harry. Delavan went into the other room of the small house, and Harry heard him rummaging through a cabinet as he looked for something. He walked back into the room, carrying a small sealed vial. The vial was clear, and it contained a dark blue watery substance that frothed a lot at the top. Delavan handed it to Harry, who took it with his right hand while his left held his scar that still hurt. Delavan tore off the seal at the top, and Harry tipped it up and downed it in one gulp. It tasted sickly sweet, but immediately he felt the pain in his forehead ease. "Thanks, Delavan," said Harry. He sat back on his small bed as Delavan took the vial back into the other room. Harry looked around at the place that had been his home for the summer, and starting to think all this precaution was necessary. Dumbledore, along with Sirius, Harry's godfather, had agreed to have Harry kept under the supervision of one of the best Aurors. It was also decided that Harry would not live at his aunt and uncle's house, and he was sent to a small town out in the country of England called Boggelty Hedge. There he and his Auror companion, Delavan Tichondrius, had lived in the basement of an old couple who lived on the outskirts of the village. The Mortimors, the wizarding couple they were staying with, often didn't use magic, and so they blended in fine with the simple citizens of Boggelty Hedge. When they heard that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was in trouble and needed a place to stay, they immediately offered their large basement, and turned it into a versatile living quarters. There Harry had been the entire summer, sometimes helping the Mortimors with keeping the chickens they raised in order, or walking in the woods that surrounded the farm land that stretched off for at least half a mile in any direction from Boggelty Hedge. He had been able to keep in touch with his two best friends, Hermione Granger, who had been in Bulgaria for most of the time, visiting the world famous Quidditch player, Victor Krum, and also with Ron Weasley, who had gone to Romania to visit his brother Charlie, who studied dragons. But, even though this way of life was far better than living with the horrible Dursleys, his only relatives, life was often lonely for Harry. Delavan was good company, and often kind, but he had also had to be stern to keep Harry from wandering into the middle of the town, so he wouldn't be suspected to be living there because Voldemort's spies were everywhere, or so it was rumored. The old and motherly Mrs. Mortimor gave Harry fudge, which she baked every Sunday, but she was growing deaf and it was hard to talk to her because he would always have to shout. Mr. Mortimor was also nice to Harry, but Harry didn't spend much time with him, because Mr. Mortimor would always drift off into a nap whenever Harry tried to carry on a conversation with him. Harry had also not been able to practice Quidditch, his favorite sport. Played in the wizarding world on broomsticks and with three balls, Harry was quite good at it. He was so good in fact, that he was the first First Year at Hogwarts in a century to play Quidditch on the House Teams. But now it seemed his peaceful little summer in the country was coming to an end. His scar was hurting, and that could only mean one thing: Voldemort was near.  
  
"Harry," said Delavan sternly, "is he near? I need to know now if Voldemort is near." Harry grabbed his glasses from where he had set them next to his bed when he went to sleep, and put them on, blinking to adjust his eyes. He looked at the Auror with worry.  
  
"The last time my scar hurt was when Voldemort was at Hogwarts, but how could he be here? I mean, this is a Muggle village, and what business would he have here anyway?" asked Harry. Delavan shook his head. He pulled the hood of his dark blue cloak up over his head, and grabbed his wand from the table where they ate.  
  
"I'm going to investigate. Harry, this is serious. If he's here, I don't know what to do. He has grown powerful Harry, very powerful. If he gets his hands on you, you will not escape again. I don't mean to frighten you, but it is true. Now go, boy. Get your wand and your bag. Don't bother with the trunk, you may need to run." Harry grabbed his small haversack he kept a few of his possessions in when he went trekking in the woods. "What about Hedwig?" asked Harry, looking towards his beautiful snowy owl that had been his friend ever since he had entered the wizarding world.  
  
"Let Hedwig out. She can find you where ever you will go. Now Harry, please! Go!" Harry noticed a note of urgency that he had never heard the Auror utter before. He grabbed his black cloak and threw it over his shoulders and picked up his small brown haversack, along with his wand. He headed for the small staircase that lead up and out of the basement into the Mortimors' house, but Delavan held him back. "Take the cellar stairs that lead out into the back. Make for the center of town, and wait for me there. If Voldemort's minions are abroad, or even Voldemort himself, you will need to be hidden, so stay to the shadows. Go." Harry ran back through the bed room and up another staircase in the back of the basement. He climbed up to the top, where there were two heavy wooden doors over the exit. He pushed with all his strength, and one of the doors creaked up and out, and Harry ran out into the night air, keeping to the shadows.  
Delavan walked up the stairs and into the house. It was deathly quiet, and the darkness seemed to press in on his eyes. "Lumos!" he said under his breath, and his wand lit up, revealing the room. Mrs. and Mr. Mortimor lay dead on the floor, both facing down. A black scorch mark in the center of both of their backs, still smoldering. "Damn," he said, stepping carefully over the dead witch and wizard. Their wands lay close to their hands, but there was no sign of a fight. They must have been easy prey for the Death Eaters. He walked through the homely house, thinking of it as a death pit, and headed for the door. He opened it, and what he saw made his heart stop. There would be no escape for the Potter boy after all. The small yard was illuminated by a ghastly green light, the source of which was floating about a hundred feet above the house. A neon green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth floated in midair, giving off the light, but it was what the illuminated that made Delavan lose all hope. There, standing in a semi circle facing the door, stood thirteen Death Eaters, all in black cloaks with white masks shining. One of them stepped forward.  
  
"Stand down, Tichondrius, you can't win. Give us the boy and you'll die easy." Delavan knew that voice.  
  
"Malgon, you filthy traitor, they should've locked you up fifteen years ago," said Delavan. The Death Eater laughed, a rasp that coughed out of his throat, and full of malicious content. A second cloaked figure stepped out of the ring. This one was different; he had a silver hand, and was small, and when he spoke, his voice was high pitched.  
  
"Must history repeat itself, Tichondrius? You may buy the boy a few precious minutes by standing here, giving him time, but you are making it harder on him, as you are on yourself." Anger suddenly snapped within Delavan, and he pointed his wand at the silver-handed man and shouted.  
  
"Pelierius!" screamed Delavan, and a long jet of red shot out at the Death Eater. The figure held up its silver hand, and the blast slammed into it, and the hand grew red. Delavan watched in amazement as the hand shook violently. Suddenly the blast shot straight back at him, knocking into his stomach and sending him flying into the door behind him. Delavan moved his hand away from where he had grabbed at his stomach, and saw that it was slick with blood. Malgon came forward.  
  
"Time to repay a few old debts, eh, Delavan?" Malgon pointed his wand at Delavan. "Crucio!"  
Harry turned back towards the house once he was down the road about a hundred yards. He saw Voldemort's sign, the great green skull with the snake protruding from its mouth, hovering over the little farm house. Suddenly he heard a shout, followed by screams of pain. "Delavan!" Harry shouted. Then there was another shout, and a green flash illuminated the area for hundreds of feet around, and the screaming stopped. "No!" He began to run back towards the house, hoping to do something, anything, but he stopped. Delavan was dead, and there could be nothing accomplished by running right into Voldemort's hands. He began to turn back to the center of the village, when suddenly there was a shout from behind him.  
  
"There he is!" someone yelled, and a long line of figures cloaked in black and wearing white masks began streaming towards him. Harry turned and sprinted, his legs pounding the gravel underneath him. There were shouts of command, and spells flew over his head, slamming into the ground in front of him, making craters that sat there smoldering. One whizzed past his ear, and Harry ducked to avoid another one right after that. Harry was fast, but the Death Eaters were fully grown men, and they were gaining on him. The different colored streaks of spells were flying all around him as he ran, ducking and dodging. There was a man right behind him! He reached out his hand, but suddenly the man fell forward, thrown to the ground by something in the dark. Something was swooping at Harry! He screamed and ran faster, but iron strong talons grabbed his arms, and suddenly he was flying off the ground, being hauled up by some type of great bird! He looked back behind him, and he saw the Death Eaters firing spells up at him, but Harry was too high, and the spells passed off harmlessly into the night. An arm reached down from on top of the bird, and hauled Harry up. He suddenly saw that what had picked him up was actually a hippogryph, and behind him sat.  
  
"Sirius!" shouted Harry in delight. For there sat Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. "It looks like I came at about the right time, wouldn't you say?" said Sirius.  
  
"How did you know to come?" asked Harry, amazed that he had escaped, and by the last possible way expected.  
  
"Actually, I was sent by Dumbledore to bring you to the Weasley family. He seemed to think that you shouldn't be kept in one place the entire time, as Voldemort would be able to pinpoint your location if you stayed in one place long enough."  
  
"Well, he sure was right, and you sure did show up in time. But." Harry stopped. "They killed Delavan." Sirius's face was grim, but when he spoke his voice was full of sadness.  
  
"I know. I saw as I passed over. There was nothing I could have done, nor you, Harry. You did the right thing. He sacrificed himself so that you could live, and he wouldn't want you to spend the time he gave you dwelling on something that you could never of hoped to do. He was one of my friends, too, back at Hogwarts." Sirius was right, of course, but Harry could not suppress the sadness he felt. Another person had died on his account. Harry stayed silent for the rest of the long journey through the clouds, the only happy thought was that he would be going to stay with Ron and the rest of the Weasley family. But Harry tried to take Sirius's advice, and soon he was devoid of any thought of guilt he had had. The continuous motion of Buckbeak the hippogryph soon lulled him into a light doze. 


	2. Back to the Burrow, Again!

Chapter Two  
  
Back to the Burrow, Again!  
  
A mist swirled up from the ground as the dawn light came peaking through a small hole in the clouds, but the light quickly vanished, the tiny hole quickly passing over the small paddock. Harry awoke from his dazed sleep as Buckbeak thudded his two horses' and two eagles' feet into the ground. Sirius got off the hippogryph's back and hoisted down Harry, placing him on the ground. Harry shook his limbs to loosen them, as the air was cold and he was stiff, even though it was the middle of July. His wiped his hands across his eyes and looked about, shivering.  
  
"Well, I'm back at the Burrow," he muttered under his breath. He walked along the paddock fence until the Weasleys' house loomed up in front of him out of the mist. The Weasleys' house, which the called the Burrow, was a strange looking structure indeed. Seemingly built up from one small building, expansions and rooms seemed to grow out from the ground and up and up until they looked like they could only have stayed supported with magic, as it probably was. Several chickens ran about the yard, clucking and pecking at the wet ground. Harry walked up to the house, Sirius vanishing out of sight as Harry left him behind to tie up Buckbeak. Harry walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and knocked. Or he might have knocked, but the door sprung inwards, Mr. Weasley backing out and shouting back to someone inside.  
  
"Molly, it's just for a few hours. The Ministry says it's urgent! They don't even know if he's alive! I have to go." Mr. Weasley closed the door and turned around, nearly bumping right into Harry. "Merlin's Beard! Molly, he's here!" Mr. Weasley looked over Harry. "Are you all right? What happened? Here, come inside." He put an arm over Harry's shoulder and led him into the small kitchen of the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry with surprise and joy.  
  
"Oh, the poor thing! You must have had a dreadful night. Come sit at the table." She led Harry over to the small and scrubbed kitchen table where he sat in a chair. Harry gained control of his senses, having momentarily lost them by the sudden welcome the Weasleys had given him. He looked up at the short and plump Molly Weasley, her red hair in a mess, and also at Arthur Weasley, tall and balding with a little red hair still left around his ears.  
  
"Hello Mr. And Mrs. Weasley," Harry said cautiously, so as not to get them into an excited frenzy all over again. They beamed at him.  
  
"Happy Birthday, Harry! And thank god your all right." Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry, giving him a sense of security being touched by a mother's love. But then she stood up again, and it passed. The pains of the previous night returned. "I'll go and wake Ron and Ginny, Dear. The other boys are off at work." Mrs. Weasley walked to the far side of the kitchen and up the crooked and winding staircase that made up the core of the Burrow. Mr. Weasley came and sat down opposite Harry at the table. He looked like a nervous wreck, like someone who had been up all night.  
  
"Did you see him Harry?" He asked in a shaky voice. He seemed to grow paler by just asking the question.  
  
"Who?" said Harry, not quite sure who Mr. Weasley was talking about.  
  
"You Know Who! Is he at full power? How many followers does he have? Could you identify any of them? What was his."  
  
"Wow Dad, slow down," Harry turned to see a sleepy Ron in the doorway next to a groggy Ginny. Harry grinned.  
  
"How was Romania?" asked Harry, and Ron and Ginny came and sat down at the table next to Harry. Ron was tall, lanky, and was covered in freckles. And, like the rest of the Weasleys, he had a full head of flaming red hair. Ginny, who had fancied Harry, was shorter, but also with the Weasley hair and a lot of freckles. She was a year younger than Harry and Ron, and when they went back to Hogwarts she would be in her fourth year, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be in their fifth year. Ron grinned back at Harry.  
  
"It was great! Charlie took us to some really cool places, and we saw some really cool dragons. There was this one place, the Palace of Barkesh, that was enchanted to look like ruins to the Muggle eye, but it's really a massive tower, built out of red marble. Charlie and his crew were there, trying to flush out a Chinese Fireball which had taken refuge in the tower's keep." Ron looked to his father, then became silent. Mr. Weasley was looking very grave, lines of worry etched on his face. Harry, who although didn't know Mr. Weasley very well, wouldn't have thought that he could ever of looked so worried or sad or angry or frustrated or tired all at once. Yet here he was, looking haggard and worn.  
  
"Ron, this is not the time. We need to get Harry down to the office as soon as possible, so that he can be interviewed," said Mr. Weasley.  
  
"But Dad, it's Harry's birthday!" said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken, and Harry looked at her. She blushed and looked down at the table surface. Mr. Weasley sighed. He didn't look in the mood to argue. His patience seemed to hanging by a thin thread that could snap at any time. For the first time in his life, Harry felt a little intimidated by the kind man.  
  
"Well, perhaps he can stay for a little while, but then I guess we have to find another place for you to stay." Mr. Weasley stood up, and looked at the clock that looked over the kitchen. It was the clock Harry had always liked to look at, the one with only one hand, and instead of numbers around the edge, it said things like "Time for Bed", or "If You're Reading This, You Have Been Up Too Late". It was now pointing to "You Should Be Asleep Now, It's Much Too Early".  
  
"Look," he said, "I have to get down to the office now, but I'll be returning in a few hours. I want Harry to be ready when I get back. Ron, and Ginny, if you're coming, you'd better be ready too." With that, Mr. Weasley disappeared with a loud Pop!, and a small bit of dust on the floor was stirred by a small shock of wind. Just then, Sirius came through the door. Ginny recoiled, but then got control of herself.  
  
"Harry, where's Arthur? I need to speak to him," said Sirius. He then caught sight of Ron and Ginny sitting at the table, and smiled. Harry noticed that Sirius seemed much healthier now, and his smile held warmth which calmed Ginny down. She smiled back, and waved timidly. "Hello Ron, it's nice to see you again." He then looked back to Ginny. "And who is this lovely young lady?"  
  
"I'm Ginny, Mr. Black," she answered in a small voice.  
  
"Nice to meet you. Now, where's your father?"  
  
"He just left for the office," answered Ron.  
  
"He said I would be interviewed about what happened. He said he'll be back in a few ours to pick me up, and then I'd be taken to the Ministry," said Harry. Sirius looked at him.  
  
"Well then, I'm off to the Ministry as well. Dumbledore told me to inform him when you were safe, and he will undoubtedly be at the office as well, after what happened. I want you three to stay near the house. There's no telling what Voldemort may know, and if you, Harry, are seen any where near here he'll be over here really fast, and then there won't be anyone to protect you." Sirius pulled out his wand and Apparated, creating another dust swirl.  
  
"Well, we'd better get your presents, then," said Ron with a grin. Harry blushed.  
  
"Presents?" he said.  
  
"It's your birthday! Of course you have presents," said Ginny, surprised. Mrs. Weasley then came back into the kitchen, carrying two small parcels.  
  
"Wow, thanks for remembering!" he said as the presents were set in front of him. Ron picked up a parcel and handed it to Harry. It was covered in left over Daily Prophet pages as wrapping paper, a few moving photographs moved around the surface, their articles of things Harry could not tell, as the paper was crinkled in many places.  
  
"This one is from me," he said. "I got it in Romania at a gift shop. Here, open it." Harry tore the newspaper away, and pulled out a small, dark blue, leather bound book. It had nothing on the cover, and nothing inside.  
  
"It's a Blinker Book," explained Ron, "This is the counter part to it." He pulled out another book exactly like the one Harry held in his hand, except that his was a deep red. "You write down a message in it, and it appears in the counter part. Try it." He handed Harry a quill and Harry jotted down: Thanks, Ron. Ron opened his book up, and there was Harry's message written across the first page.  
  
"Wow, this is weird!" said Harry. They had fun for a few minutes just writing things back and forth to each other.  
  
"The messages disappear after a while," said Ron. Sure enough, when Harry turned back to the first page, the first message he had written to Ron was starting to fade away.  
  
"Thanks a lot!" Harry said again. He was starting to feel better, being back with his friend, but this new gift sparked something out of the sadness he had been feeling. Ginny pulled forth the other present, also wrapped in old wizard newspaper. Harry took it, and began to open it. He noticed Ginny was blushing. Once opened, he found a large fruitcake, wrapped in a cloth and on a small platter.  
  
"Looks delicious," said Harry, looking at Ginny. She blushed again.  
  
"I baked it for you," she said shyly.  
  
'Thanks! I know, lets try a bit now." Mrs. Weasley cut the cake into a few pieces, and they all took one. It was very good, and Harry thanked Ginny again. But, as he finished his piece, a wave of tiredness came over him. He hadn't exactly slept on the hippogryph ride over. He slumped forward a little, but caught himself before he fell face first onto the table.  
  
"Oh my goodness, you must be so tired!" Mrs. Weasley bent down and helped Harry stand up. "I don't care what you say, but you're taking a nap now!" Harry made his way up the twisting and turning staircase of the Burrow, and in to Ron's little room right under the attic. The ceiling sloped, and the room was a blaze orange, with the Chudly Canons posters on the wall, Ron's favorite Quidditch team. Mrs. Weasley lay Harry down on Ron's bed, and he was asleep as soon as his head hit the blaze orange pillow.  
The twisting labyrinth of the passages lead deep into the castle. The walls were stone, as was the floor, and torches every few feet illuminated the tunnels that seemed to turn at random. Wormtail walked forward, Malgon next to him. Malgon had his mask off, and his nose was still smashed in where the Muggle had hit him. He had cold eyes which were hooded by large and thick black eyebrows. His black hair was slicked back, so that the pale skin of his forehead showed all the way to the top of his head. He looked infuriated, yet tense at the same time. Wormtail did not like it when a wizard, more powerful than himself, was in a bad mood and in the same room. It added to his feeling of unease. Up ahead there was a thick wooden door, florin spikes sticking out, and no handle. At each side of the door stood two large suits or armor. Their armor was black, and shaped as though it was wrought just to look evil. Their helmets had their visors up, the black pit of the inside of their empty helmet was disturbing to look at. They also barred the door, their swords crossed in front of it. But when Wormtail and Malgon approached the door, the swords were drawn back, and then door swung inwards. Wormtail looked at Malgon.  
  
"You're the superior, it was your fault he got away. You go in first," Wormtail said, edging away from the open door. The could see nothing beyond it, for there was a curtain that hung down, a purple velvet so dark it might have been black. Malgon look even more angry.  
  
"Rubbish! Now go in, or you'll regret ever asking me to do that again," said Malgon. He pulled out his wand from under his cloak, and pushed Wormtail up against the stone wall. He pressed his wand against Wormtail's throat, a torch right above them casting eerie shadows across his face. Wormtail whimpered.  
  
"I. I." stuttered Wormtail, as the wand pressed against his jugular.  
  
"Meant nothing by it, I'm sure," finished Malgon for him, and he released Wormtail. He shoved Wormtail in front of him, through the curtain, and followed. They emerged into a small circular room, like one that would be at the top of a tower. On the walls hung ancient torture devices, collected from around the world. In the center of the windowless room stood Voldemort, pale as paper, eyes red as blood. Both Malgon and Wormtail met a wave of pain.  
  
"Crucio!" shouted Voldemort, as they stepped through the door. They both fell to the ground, screaming in pain as the spell racked through their bodies, sending wave after wave of pain through them, until they were both sobbing on the ground, begging for mercy.  
  
"You two squeal like pigs," said Voldemort, laughing. He twitched his wand, and Malgon and Wormtail flew up off the ground and slammed against the wall of the chamber. They hung their, their feet dangling several feet off the ground, both being pressed into the wall, hard.  
  
"You both know I don't tolerate failure in my disciples," Voldemort said, his red eyes flashing. "I would like you to remember that, so I will now give you a valuable lesson." He twisted his wand, and Wormtail and Malgon fell to the floor. Their screams echoed throughout the castle as they were tortured, tortured as they had tortured others. Finally, their wails ceased.  
  
"The two of you will have a chance to redeem yourselves, however, and if you do this right, you will be rewarded. If you fail, you will be killed." Voldemort walked to the other side of the room and picked up a crystal ball from his desk. He turned back, his black cloak swirling around him as he walked back over to Wormtail and Malgon lying on the floor. He knelt in front of them, holding out his crystal ball. The two Death Eaters looked deep into it, and saw a vision unfold in its depths. They seemed to be sucked into the vision, carried through into another dimension. The two of them were falling, falling through blackness. But as they fell, they began to see something they were falling towards. It seemed to be on fire, and it was streaking up as they were streaking down. At first, it might have looked like a burning jumbo jet, hurtling upwards, but as they got closer, they saw that it was a giant bird! It was on fire, a raging inferno of heat and smoke and flame as its wings slammed the air, propelling it up and up. It was a giant phoenix. And on its back rode a man, clad in bright red armor that also seemed to burn. The figure wore a helm of gold and red steel, and swept back from the top was a pair of phoenix wings, their feathers red and gleaming. He held in his gauntleted hand a greatsword, its blade in the swerving shape of a flammeberge, twisting and swerving to a point so sharp it hurt to look at it. The hilt was shaped like a phoenix, its wings flowing towards the front of the blade, forming the hand guard.  
  
Wormtail screamed, but right before the sword wielding man and his steed collided with the two Death Eaters, it disappeared, and they were no longer falling. Instead, they were overlooking an immense cavern, so huge all of Hogwarts could have fit in it. One half was a stone floor, sloping towards a giant pit which dominated the other half of the cavern. From the depths came the red glow of lava. On the sloping floor there raged a battle. The clash of blades and the swish of arrows and the screams of dying men filled the air. The two armies clashed, armor shattering under the impact of mighty swords being slashed and maces being bashed. The battle was furious, but one-sided. With blue cloaks over their shining armor, a small band of knights was trying to hold back a giant mob of large, burly men in black leather, swinging large, black swords. A group of archers was firing down into another band of knights, also in blue cloaks. The archers aimed with deadly precision, but the knights held up their shields and charged the ranks. However, despite their valiant attempts, the blue knights could not hold back the screaming mob of black clad warriors. Wormtail and Malgon watched with fascination and horror as the knights were driven back to the edge of the pit, and over. Along the walls, huge gargoyle heads began to pour lava out of their mouths, and rained down into the pit and illuminated the cavern. The black warriors began to scream and shout in victory, dancing around and shouting barbaric war cries. But as the pit began to fill with lava, the screams of joy soon turned to screams of terror as the lava crept up and over the edge of the giant pit and spread along the floor towards the celebrating army. The first rank of the remaining army was burned to ashes as it was hit by the wave of lava. The cavern was filled with screams as the army was consumed in flames. When the army was dead, the gargoyles stopped pouring lava. The Death Eaters were silent, having just witnessed the carnage. The lava then began to drain back into the pit, seeping back over the edge. The lava receded back into the large pit, revealing what was left of the army: six large piles of ash. Then came a loud and thunderous screech, and up from the pit came the sword bearer on the huge phoenix. It flew up and hovered over where the battle had just raged. He pulled fourth his long greatsword, the one with the phoenix hilt, and pointed it at the piles of ash. Suddenly blinding light flashed, and a beam of red shot to each of the piles of ash. Then, from out of the center of the ashes rose six figures, all clad in gold and red armor, all holding swords and shields that bore the sigil of a phoenix. Then they fell back to the floor, becoming ash again, and from each pile rose a white spirit that floated up to the very top of the cavern, and vanished. The cavern vanished, and Wormtail and Malgon were in blackness again. Voldemort's voice resonated over them, even though he wasn't visible.  
  
"That was the Battle of Morgoth, where the two armies perished into flame. The figure you saw, riding the phoenix, was Lord Calaval. Those six figures are the Order of the Phoenix, and they are summoned by Lord Calaval's sword, the Crimson Blade. The cavern lies within Hogwarts, and you will bring the Crimson Blade to me. Succeed, and you will be richer than kings. Fail, and you'll wish you were never born."  
  
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Author's Notes:  
  
I hope you have enjoyed my second chapter for The Crimson Blade. Don't worry, the story from this point on will remain much more focused on Harry, although there will be few exerts where I switch to Wormtail, Malgon, or Voldemort. The third chapter is on the way, so keep read and review and tell me what you think of the story so far.  
  
I would also like to thank Frini for giving me my first review. 


	3. The Ministry of Magic

Chapter Three  
  
The Ministry of Magic  
  
When Harry awoke, he saw out the window that it was bright and sunny out, quite the contrary to what it was when he went to sleep. He reached out to the side of Ron's bed and felt for his glasses. He put them on and went down the stairs, winding down and down the five floors of the house. He emerged at the bottom into the kitchen, where he saw Ron and Mr. Weasley sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
"Ready to go, Harry?" asked Mr. Weasley.  
  
"Yup," answered Harry.  
  
"But Dad, how will we get there? You still haven't bought yourself a new car," said Ron.  
  
"Ah yes. The Ministry has lent me another car to use, just to get us there and back. Now, when we get there, I don't want you two running off, because the office is in chaos and I don't want you two to get lost."  
  
The three of them went out into the yard of the Burrow, and Harry saw that Buckbeak had gone from the paddock fence. "Where did Sirius go?" asked Harry. Mr. Weasley looked at Harry, and he seemed to be trying to decide whether or not to tell him something. Finally he replied.  
  
"He received an owl from Dumbledore telling him to go to Hogwarts, because he was supposed to help set up security. There will be Aurors when you get back to school, to help keep a look out and keep the school safe from any of Voldemort's supporters."  
  
They reached the car and got in. It was a black car, plain except for along the side next to the forward wheels it had in gold letters MM. Harry supposed they stood for Ministry of Magic. They got in and sat down on the leather seats, and drove out of the driveway. The drive was through the country, along a gravel road, and as they went along they began to notice trees getting thicker along the side of the road.  
  
"This is where the Anti Muggle charms start," explained Mr. Weasley. The road suddenly became smoother, and Harry notice that they were no longer on a bumpy gravel road but on a smooth tarmac one. A couple feet down the road they were stopped by two wizards in the dark blue cloaks of Aurors. Mr. Weasley rolled down his window.  
  
"Name and registration, please," said one of the Aurors in a blank, bored sounding voice. Mr. Weasley pulled out his wallet and took out a small slip of parchment, handing it to the Auror.  
  
"Weasley, number one, three, three, one, six, two," said Mr. Weasley. The Auror handed back the slip of parchment and waved them along. Mr. Weasley rolled up his window and they drove on. They were stopped three more times by more blue cloaked, grim faced Aurors.  
  
"Security keeps getting tighter and tighter these days," said Mr. Weasley. The drove on, and up ahead Harry could see a large building looming up ahead through the trees. It was tall, and built of marble, like the wizard bank Gringotts, but the marble was black here instead of white. There were large stairs leading up to two huge iron doors. There, five Aurors with gold trim on their blue cloaks stood guarding the doors, all with their wands out. Harry, Ron, and Mr. Weasley got out of the car and walked up the stairs. At the top, Mr. Weasley gave the Aurors his piece of parchment and registration number, along with his name, and the Aurors silently moved aside to let them through. The three walked forward, and the two iron doors creaked open with a loud screech, and the three of them entered. Harry's first impression of the Ministry was loud. They were in a very large room, marble floor with marble columns rising up around by the walls. And in the room was a mass of people. Lots and lots and lots of witches and wizards and a few magical creatures were running all around, some talking, some moving hurriedly to the other side of the room, some shouting, some casting spells, all of which created a scene of madness and noise. Around the room in between the columns were doors. All of the doors were constantly opening and closing as people went in and out nonstop. Mr. Weasley had to shout to Harry and Ron to keep up as they moved through the crowd.  
  
"Stay together!" he shouted to the boys, barely audible over the cacophony. They weaved in and out of the people, and slowly made their way to a door on the far side of the room. They went through, and were spared a great part of the volume they had just been hearing. They were now in a long corridor, red carpet stretching down the hallway. On each side of the hall were more doors, but Mr. Weasley led them to one at the very end of the corridor.  
  
"Is it always like this?" asked Harry.  
  
Mr. Weasley sighed, "Well, it has been this way for a good two or three months now, now that Voldemort is back. There have been constant reports flying in, dispatches being sent, people in panic and people trying to calm the people who are panicking down. It is all very stressful." They reached the end of the corridor, and entered the brown wood door. They entered into a room with a circular table at the center of it, chairs seated around the edge. In the chairs sat more witches and wizards, some of which Harry knew, some of which he had never seen before. There were even a few teachers from Hogwarts, including Professor McGonagall, Snape, and over at the other end of the table sat a large man, far too big to be human, and in fact, he wasn't entirely so. Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant, sat in a particularly large chair. He waved to them when he caught site of Harry and Ron.  
  
"How 're you doin' there, Harry? And you too, Ron?" he asked in his unique accent. Harry waved back. "Hagrid! I'm fine! How is it going at Hogwarts?" asked Harry.  
  
"Well now, it's been a li'l strange, what with all 'em Aurors walkin' around, patrollin' the grounds. But Fang and I have the grounds nice and tidy, never fear," said Hagrid. Harry also noticed Professor Remus Lupin sitting at the table as well. He was dressed in shabby robes, and he seemed very tired. Harry had thought of Lupin as the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher he had ever had, but because Lupin was a werewolf, his teachings at Hogwarts only lasted the duration of Harry's third year. Ron tapped Harry on the shoulder.  
  
"Don't look now, or you've already noticed, but Snape's here," said Ron in Harry's ear. Harry nodded.  
  
"I know. I wonder why?" replied Harry. Mr. Weasley walked over to a chair, and sat down, gesturing for the boys to come and sit next to him. Just as they were talking their seats, the door of the room opened, and in came Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Every one stood respectfully until Fudge had taken his seat at table, his pinstriped robes looking rather worn. He looked very weary, with bags under his eyes, and he seemed pale and strained. The door opened again, and in came Albus Dumbledore, clad in long, forest green robes and looking almost as tired as Fudge. He caught Harry's eye, and he winked. Harry noticed that although Dumbledore looked tired, he still had that twinkle in his eyes he would always have. A few more witches and wizards entered, all of which Harry didn't know. They all sat around the table. At last, Fudge spoke.  
  
"You all know why we're here, and you all know the seriousness of this discussion. You Know Who has risen to power again, and he must be stopped. Already there are reports of killing and torture flooding into my office. Many of You Know Who's old supporters have rejoined him, and it's only a matter of time before he attacks Azkaban and releases those we have captured. Although, it is not only You Know Who's supporters that I fear may join him if he overtakes Azkaban." Fudge looked to a short, plump man in a violet cloak with black hair. "Your report, Blibble," said Fudge. The man looked grave, and when he spoke, his squeaky voice was serious too.  
  
"The vampires have been sweeping through England as well, their ranks growing as those they have bitten are turned into vampires and join them," said Blibble. He handed Fudge a list, and Fudge scanned it quickly. "Those are a list of the villages they have sacked. When my crew and I went to the last one to investigate, there were no bodies. They have all been turned. Minister, this suggests a literal army of vampires. We must do something." Fudge nodded, and set the list aside.  
  
"And Hagrid, what news of the giants?" asked the Minister.  
  
"Well sir, when I got to where they were rumored to be hidin', but." Hagrid broke off. He seemed disturbed. "When I got there, I found 'em all slaughtered. Their great bodies had been piled in their caves and left there. Above the caves there was the Dark Mark." Fudge looked puzzled by this news.  
  
"I thought You Know Who would have wanted the giants' services, but I guess he thought the risk was too great that they might have helped us." Fudge looked at all the faces around the table. He then looked at a small notepad he had with him. "Severus, what have you learned from inside their ranks? I trust you answered You Know Who's call, when he first returned to power." Snape sat forward in his seat, pushing a few strands of greasy black hair out of his face.  
  
"There has been much movement among the Death Eaters," said Snape in his oily voice, "but there is one thing which seems to be on the tongue of all The Dark Lord's followers. Apparently, two Death Eaters have been sent on a quest to recover an ancient artifact. What this artifact may be, and where they plan to look for it is beyond me, although I do know that one of the two who were sent to retrieve it is none other than our dear little Peter Pettigrew, under the name of Wormtail." At this Harry noticed Dumbledore look over at Lupin, and Lupin returned the gaze. But it lasted for only a moment, and Harry soon forgot it.  
  
"That is interesting news, Severus," said Fudge. "However, it is of little use to us without further information. I expect you to find out more and report what you have learned to me as soon as you can. It is possible that this quest you speak of could hold the key to You Know Who's downfall." Fudge looked like he was getting bored, like he had already had a dozen meetings like this, and received the same information over and over again. "Now, I would like to address the issue on the current attack one Harry Potter," said Fudge, and every head at the table turned to look at Harry. Harry just looked back at Fudge, waiting for him to be asked to speak. "If you could tell us of what happened the night you were attacked, Harry, that would be good indeed. We need to know how the Auror who was guarding you was killed, and if you saw You Know Who. Also, we would like to know if you were able to identify any of His supporters."  
  
"Um." Harry began. He didn't feel like recalling the events from that night, but he knew he had to. He caught Dumbledore's eye, and he smiled. Harry drew strength from that and began to tell the assembly what had happened that night. They all stayed silent, not asking any questions, just letting Harry speak. Harry just went on and on, telling how he had run from the small farm house, and how he had heard Delavan Tichondrius being tortured, then killed. When he accidentally said Voldemort's name, everyone flinched. But they let him continue and Harry told how he was saved by Sirius on the back of Buckbeak the hippogryph. When he had finished, everyone was silent. Then Dumbledore spoke.  
  
"Harry, are you certain that Delavan was killed? Did you actually see him. die?" It was the first time Dumbledore had spoken during the entire meeting, for he had just sat there before, seemingly taking in all the news and processing it.  
  
"Well, no," answered Harry, "But I heard him being tortured, and when his screams were cut off, I. assumed that he had been. killed." Harry felt it was hard to go on from there. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Thank you, Harry, that's all I wanted to know. I'm sorry I made you recall those events," said Dumbledore. Fudge looked from Harry to the old wizard in green robes, then back to Harry. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the door of the room burst open. Everyone turned to see an Auror there, panting. Her eyes looked wild.  
  
"Minister, you'd better come quick," said the Auror, "Jack McCoover has just come in from the front line, and he's injured badly! We've done what we could for him, and the paramedics are working on him now." Harry then noticed that there appeared to be blood on her blue robes. Fudge stood up, and the attendants of the meeting followed Fudge out the door, Dumbledore up front with McGonagall and the small man named Blibble. They walked down the corridor, following the Auror. When they emerged into the central room, Harry noticed the atmosphere was much different than it was when he had first arrived. Everyone was crowded around something in the middle of the room, and the sound level was lower, and sounded more worried, almost panicky.  
  
"Make way, make way," said the Minister as he came up to the crowd. Everyone parted to let him through, and Harry caught a glimpse of the man lying on the floor. He was in the dark blue cloak of an Auror, and there was a paramedic holding a white cloth to the man's neck. The cloth was sodden with blood. "My god, what happened?" asked Fudge. The man on the ground was moaning as the paramedic applied a little bit of a potion to the cloth he was holding to the wound.  
  
"He was bitten by something," said the paramedic. He was trying to force down a little bit of a potion down the man's throat, but the Auror kept spitting it back up. Blibble moved forward for a closer look.  
  
"Vampire bite," said the little wizard. Everyone there gasped and backed away. Even the paramedic hesitated.  
  
"What should I do, Minister? If he's been bitten, what can there be done for him?" asked the man. The man on the ground began to push the paramedic's hand away from his mouth.  
  
"Let the man speak!" said Fudge, kneeling next to the wounded Auror. The Auror tried to talk, but all that came out of his mouth was a gurgle and a dribble of blood. Finally, the man was able to get a few words out.  
  
"We. were. ambushed. They came. out of. the forest. and. took down. young Tim Backlund." the man trailed off, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Fudge looked anxious.  
  
"Where were you patrolling?"  
  
"The borders of. Hogsmeade."  
  
"Anyone else? Did they kill anyone else, Jack?" asked Fudge. Jack McCoover shook his head.  
  
"No. not kill." he said.  
  
"Then what?" asked Fudge. "Tortured?" Jack shuddered, and Harry couldn't tell if it was from the man's injuries or from the memories he was being forced to remember.  
  
"They were.Bitten," Jack panted. At that a young witch came hurrying forward, in the white robes of a paramedic. She knelt next to Jack McCoover and applied a little potion to the man's neck wound.  
  
"What is that?" asked Fudge.  
  
"Essence of garlic," answered the witch. "If it's not too late, the garlic should abolish any vampirism in his veins. But already, I fear it is spreading." She lifted up McCoover's lip, and Harry could see that the man's k-nine teeth were beginning to bud into fangs.  
  
"So it was vampires, you say," said Fudge, jotting down something in his little notepad. "Who else was bitten?"  
  
"They bit. Jada. Claiborne," wheezed the man.  
  
"Claiborne," said the Minister, writing in his notepad. "Who else was with you?"  
  
"There was. Justin. Maeys."  
  
"Anyone else?"  
  
"And. Sirius. Black."  
The plot thickens. hope this little cliffhanger will keep you anxious for the next chapter! 


	4. The Second Escape

Chapter Four  
  
The Second Escape  
  
Harry gasped. Sirius had been taken! Fudge copied down the last of the names and then moved on with a few witches and wizards to another door, where they entered and closed it quickly. Dumbledore came over to Harry.  
  
"Are you all right?" asked the old professor. Harry looked into Dumbledore's eyes, past the half-moon spectacles, right at the twinkling blue eyes.  
  
"What will happen to him?" asked Harry in a shaky voice.  
  
"I couldn't say, Harry, but I want you to know that we'll get him back. I will go with Cornelius right now and we'll organize a rescue team right away. Now, you know Harry, if there is anything troubling you, you can always send me an owl." Harry nodded, and Dumbledore stood up and began to head towards the door Fudge had entered. "I'll see you at Hogwarts," the old headmaster said.  
  
"Do you think they will send out a rescue team, Ron?" Harry asked.  
  
"I don't know. With all the witches and wizards that have gone missing without being looked for, it is doubtful." Harry walked on. Under that brief exchange went one unsaid question: What if Sirius had been bitten? The two young wizards followed Mr. Weasley out to the car, and they drove back down the road. Once past the silent Aurors, the road changed back into a gravel one, and in a while they were driving back down the driveway to the Burrow. Harry and Ron got out of the car, and when they went inside they found Mrs. Weasley making lunch with Ginny.  
  
"How did it go?" asked Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley slumped into a chair at the kitchen table, and put his head in his hands.  
  
"Harry's godfather has been captured, and Jack McCoover is in bad shape. The Ministry is in chaos, and the vampires are sweeping south," answered Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley looked scared by this news.  
  
"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry," she said. She then turned her gaze back to Mr. Weasley. "Vampires, you say? Well, if they're coming south then they'll eventually get through here. Do you think we should move into the city?"  
  
"I don't know, Molly," said Mr. Weasley. "The Ministry will need my help if the vampires come through here. However, I would advise you and the children to move there for the remainder of the summer, until every thing is smoothed over." They sat down at the table and ate the lunch Mrs. Weasley and Ginny had prepared them. they were silent, until Mrs. Weasley pointed over to the corner of the kitchen and said, "Harry, a few men from the Ministry stopped over while you three were away, and they dropped off your things you left at the farm house you were staying at." Harry looked over to the corner of the kitchen Mrs. Weasley was pointing to, and he saw his trunk sitting next to where he had left his haversack. That was good news, at least.  
  
"Has Hedwig come back yet?" asked Harry.  
  
"I'm afraid not, Dear," said Mrs. Weasley. Harry was starting to wonder where she might be. "Well, I suppose we should get our things packed, if we are going to leave for Diagon Alley," said Mrs. Weasley. Everyone finished their lunch, and Harry and Ron went up to Ron's room. Harry didn't need to pack, as his things were all in his trunk downstairs, but he decided to help Ron.  
  
"Well, I certainly won't mind staying in Diagon Alley for the rest of the summer," said Ron. "I need to look for a new broom. I'm auditioning for the house Quidditch team when we get back to school." The rest of the Gryffindor team had graduated last year, and there would be plenty of open spots for new players.  
  
"You'll have a good chance at it, Ron. What position were you planning on playing?" asked Harry, interested.  
  
"I dunno, but I like the idea of playing one of the Chasers." They reached the top of the stairs and entered Ron's room. Ron pulled out his old and battered school trunk, and began pulling clothes out of his closet. Most of Ron's clothes were hand-me-downs, and had belonged to one of Ron's brothers. Harry began to help Ron fold a few things and stuff them away in the trunk. Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon, was flying around and around in his cage, twittering and hooting loudly. "Oh, shut up, Pig," said Ron, throwing one of his robes over his owl's cage.  
  
"What kind of broom were you planning on getting?" asked Harry. Ron shrugged.  
  
"I was thinking of getting a Nimbus, one of the older versions," said Ron. Harry had once owned a Nimbus Two Thousand, but it broke in Harry's third year when he fell from it. Harry now owned the bet racing broom money could buy, a Firebolt. Just then Ginny came into the room, and threw a robe to Ron.  
  
"George stopped by earlier today, when you were gone. Said for me to give you those. He said now you don't have to dress like a girl when you dance with one." Ginny laughed, and Ron through a sock at her as she closed the door.  
  
"What is it?" asked Harry. Ron picked up the robes.  
  
"They're new dress robes!" said Ron. "Thank god for that! I don't think I could stand going to another ball wearing that. that DRESS my mom got me last time." Ron held the robes up, looking over them. They were a dark red, much better looking than the ones Ron had had the previous year.  
  
"What do we need dress robes for this year?" asked Harry.  
  
"I think the fifth years and up all get to have Christmas ball, and a Halloween one, too," answered Ron. "Who are you going to ask to the ball?" Harry reddened a little.  
  
"I don't know. Last time, when we went to the Yule Bale, it didn't exactly turn out to be a romantic evening. Before the end of the night, Parvati was dancing with three other boys from Beauxbaton." Ron laughed.  
  
"Yeah, I remember. I don't exactly know who I'll ask either," said Ron. Harry did know who he would like to ask to the ball, but Cho Chang was very popular, and very pretty, and it was likely that she would be asked by someone else before Harry would have a chance. Just like last year, remember? You were too much of a coward to ask her, and when you finally did, she was already in with Cedric, Harry thought. If he wanted to go to the ball with Cho, he would have to act fast when he got back to Hogwarts. He sighed, and bent down to help Ron carry his trunk down stairs. Pigwidgeon, in his cage stacked up on top of the trunk, was hooting with excitement at the notion of travel. They set Ron's trunk down next to where Harry's was, and headed outside. Harry looked up at the sky, but saw no sign of Hedwig. He was also wondering how Hermione was doing, having not received a letter from her in a while.  
  
"I wonder where Hermione is," said Harry.  
  
"Me too. I hope she's all right. With all this news of vampires, I'm a little worried." Ron trailed off, looking at the sad expression on Harry's face. "He'll be alright," said Ron, "Sirius can take care of himself. Even if he is captured, those vampires are probably too scared to touch him, let alone bite him." Harry smiled at this. I only hope you're right, Ron.  
  
Harry and Ron passed the time playing a few games of wizard chess, which Ron won of course, and also by playing a little Quidditch. Harry took shots on Ron on his Firebolt, while Ron would fly about on his old Shooting Star and block the shots on the single Quidditch hoop the Weasleys owned. It was not long before Mrs. Weasley was calling the two of them in for dinner, and Harry and Ron raced back to the Burrow on their broomsticks. Harry would have easily won, but he paced his Firebolt so that the race was even, and Ron's slow and jerky Shooting Star had time to catch up every now and then. They landed in front of the door and dismounted, wiping their feet as they walked into the shabby yet clean kitchen to the smells of Mrs. Weasley's delicious cooking.  
  
"Where's Fred and George?" asked Ron. Harry hadn't seen Ron's two twin brothers since the end of last year, when they had graduated. They had been planning to open a joke shop, and Harry had hoped to give them a jump start by giving them all his one thousand galleons in prize money he had won in the triwizard tournament.  
  
"They're still down at their lab, working on some silly new contraption," said Mrs. Weasley disapprovingly. Harry knew Mrs. Weasley had never approved of Fred and George's trick making, of the prospect of them making a joke shop. Ron leaned close to Harry as they sat down at the table, and whispered in his ear.  
  
"Mom pretends to hate their joke shop, but she can't deny that they've been making a nice little profit down in London. We'll probably see them when we go there tomorrow."  
  
"So they've started their shop?" said Harry, interested, "What kinds of things do they sell?"  
  
"Oh, all sorts of things," Ron said. "They have one of the best joke shops in all of England! They sell their old sweets, like the Ton Tongued Toffees, though they've toned them down a little, and made them a little less dangerous. They also sell their fake wands, which are quite popular all over the world! They get orders from really strange places, like Katmandu, India. They also have a whole new line of pranks: their best ones, though they may be banned, are the disappearing clothes. The person puts on say a jumper, or a pair of pants, and a few minutes later they turn invisible! You can see why they would be banned, but it's bloody brilliant!" Ron then turned his attention to his potatoes, and dug in. Harry also started on the dinner Mrs. Weasley had made them.  
  
"Mmmm, Spotted Dick! My favorite!" said Harry excitedly. They were all quite full and well past their second helping of dessert when Mr. Weasley demanded that they go up to bed.  
  
"We have an early start tomorrow, if we want to get out of here and into London before the Ministry comes through to meet the oncoming vampires. I also want to board up the place, so I'll need time to do that too." Harry and Ron and Ginny went up the stairs, Ginny to her room, Harry and Ron to theirs. Harry lay on his back for a while, staring at the ceiling, listening to Ron's snores. Eventually, he drifted off into sleep, and an uneasy dream came to him.  
  
Harry was with someone, and at first he couldn't tell who. They were in a deserted classroom, one at Hogwarts. Harry then saw who he was standing with. It was Cho Chang. She smiled at him, and Harry felt blissful as he looked back into her eyes. Suddenly her smiling face turned to Voldemort's pale white with those red eyes, looking at him and laughing, a high, cold, evil laugh. Voldemort's hands reached for Harry's neck, and Harry screamed. Then hands were around his neck, and he was being shaken back and forth rigorously. "I'm gonna get you, Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry!.."  
  
"Harry! Wake up Harry! Quick, this is urgent!" Harry suddenly awoke, and found he was looking into the face of Mr. Weasley. "Get up, quick! The vampires are here! Hurry, get down stairs!" Harry got off the small mattress on the floor he had been sleeping on, and picked up his glasses and wand that had been lying next to his pillow. Ron was already up and swinging himself out of bed, slipping on some socks and his shoes. The three of them darted out of Ron's small room and ran down the stairs. As they ran, Harry could see that all the windows had been boarded up, and it was very dark. More than once Harry tripped and was in danger of falling down the entire five floor staircase, but they reached the bottom safely. Ginny was there with Mrs. Weasley, sobbing. The door was the only thing that hadn't been boarded up. Out side Harry could hear shouts and screams, and the sounds of different spells being shot off. There were growls as the spells collided with their targets.  
  
"The vampires are!" sobbed Ginny, clutching at Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Arthur, what should we do?" asked Mrs. Weasley, clearly frightened.  
  
"The Ministry can't hold out much longer," said Mr. Weasley hurriedly, "It's only a matter of time before the vampires finish them off, or the Aurors are forced to retreat." There suddenly came a rapid knock on the door, and from the other side came a panicked voice.  
  
"Open up, quick! This is the Ministry of Magic! Open up, in the name of the law!" the voice belonged to a man, and sure enough, when Mr. Weasley opened the door, Harry saw a young man in the blue robes of an Auror, wounded on the arm by some kind of bite. The man stumbled in, and behind him Harry caught a glimpse of the battle as a line of Aurors retreated steadily back, firing loud, bright spells at a horde of dark shapes as it advanced on them.  
  
"What's happening out there?" asked Mr. Weasley, a urgency in his voice.  
  
"The vampires are too many," said the young Auror. "They must have gotten here before us, because right as we started setting up defenses, we were ambushed from all sides, the creatures came out of the dark and we were surrounded." The man winced as his wound shot forth a little trickle of blood.  
  
"We need to go now, Arthur!" said Mrs. Weasley, panicking. Ginny cried even louder, and Mr. Weasley covered his face with is hands.  
  
"Alright, we head for the car," Mr. Weasley said.  
  
"But we can't go out the front door, and the back one is all boarded up!" cried Mrs. Weasley. There then came a sudden crashing noise from in one of the back rooms.  
  
"They're in the house!" cried the Auror. Harry could hear scuffling and footsteps coming hurriedly through the back rooms.  
  
"Out the front, lets go!" yelled Mr. Weasley, and all of them ran out the front door. The Auror stood his ground. Outside it was utter chaos. Witches and wizards in Auror uniforms staggered about, firing spells into crowds of the vampires. The vampires were frightening. They were pale and tall, their faces contorted oddly by the venom that coursed through them, giving them the constant thirst for human blood. Vampires stood over fallen Aurors, feeding, gnawing away at bloody wounds. It was sickening to look upon. Harry ran with his hands over his head, Ron doing likewise. They all ran to the other side of the yard, leaping over the dead bodies, dodging spells, and avoiding vampires. But it wasn't long before one looked up and pointed at the group, and screamed to its fellows to follow. Ginny screamed, and they reached the car right as a band of the filthy creatures, blood dripping from their mouths, ran for them. Harry yanked one of the back doors open, and helped Ginny get in. He jumped in quickly, Ron right behind him. Mr. Weasley sprinted around to the driver's side and got in, slamming the door behind him, and Mrs. Weasley settled in right as Mr. Weasley through the car into gear. The children's things had been locked away in the back of the car, the Ministry car having a large trunk, so there was plenty of room to be thrown around in the back. Mr. Weasley floored the gas, and the car sped through the battle. Harry twisted I his seat to look out the back window, and was surprised at the speed of the vampires as they ran after the car. The vehicle was going a good eighty, yet the vampires were gaining. When they ran, the vampires loped along on all fours, and made great speed.  
  
"Faster!" cried Ron and Harry together as the first vampire slashed a clawed hand at the back tire, missing and making dirt fly up. Mr. Weasley shifted gears as they pulled out of the driveway onto a wooded gravel road. The vampires were still after them, snarling and slashing, their long fangs glistening in the moon light, black greasy hair flying out behind them. Mr. Weasley shouted back to the two boys in the backseat.  
  
"Look under the seat for the field kit! There should be one under there since it's a Ministry car!" Harry and Ron ducked under the seat, having difficulty when Mr. Weasley swerved to avoid hitting a large log in the middle of he road. Under the seat Harry found five field kits, and pulled them out. They were small leather suitcases, and were very heavy. Harry handed one to Ron, and they both opened them. inside there were a few healing potions, a spare wand, and lying in a felt mold, a small cross bow.  
  
"Take out the bows," said Mr. Weasley, "And load one o the arrows with the garlic tipped arrow head!" The two boys did as they were told, and loaded the an arrow into each bow. They each rolled down their windows and leaned outside the car. Harry took careful aim, trying to keep his bow steady as the car jolted across the ground. Ron fired before Harry, and the bolt slammed into one of the vampire's shoulders. The vampire screeched and fell on its face, clawing at the arrow imbedded in its arm. Harry took a shot, and the arrow left the bow with a swish! and the arrow sliced through the vampire's forehead. The vampire didn't even scream as it fell to the ground, making some of the other ones trip over the fallen carcass. The vampires broke off from the chase, turning back to the battle, some shaking fists at the car, shouting growling curses.  
  
"Well done boys!" said Mr. Weasley, and Harry and Ron settled back into their seats as they hurtled down the road to London. It wasn't long before the occupants of the car could begin to see the outline of buildings as they drew closer to the great city. Soon the Ministry car was driving casually down a crowded London street, and in a few minutes they were in Diagon Alley, safe at last. 


	5. The Grounds

Chapter Five  
  
The Grounds  
  
Wormtail crept through the Forbidden Forest, crouching low in the trees, keeping a look out for anything that maybe unfriendly to humans. After all, there were rumors of werewolves, not that he hadn't had his fair share of those. The trees were dense, and the canopy was thick, making the forest as dark as night, even though it was still daytime. In this part of the forest the ground was level, and there was no undergrowth, making the going easy fro Wormtail as he moved through the trees. At last he came to his destination, and he knew their mission would be complete when he saw the ending of the trees a little ways ahead, the sunlight streaming in, creating nimbuses that shot from the top of the trees to the ground. Wormtail paused behind one of the trees, watching out onto the large and expansive Hogwarts Grounds. He waited, and waited, waited. The sun was beginning to set behind the large castle in the distance, throwing its large shadow across the ground.  
  
"Damn, where is he?" Wormtail muttered under his breath. Then he saw him. Malgon was wearing a dark green cloak, making him hard to see against the grass. He moved silently, staying to the shadows as he passed the gamekeeper's hut. When Malgon was nearing the edge of the lake that dominated a large part of the Hogwarts Grounds, Wormtail also ran forward, holding his invisibility cloak over him as he ran out into the large grassy fields. He approached Malgon, who didn't look up.  
  
"It's me," he said, and Malgon turned around. "I'm in the invisibility cloak," said Wormtail, and Malgon stopped looking around.  
  
"'Bout time," Malgon said, and pulled a pouch out from underneath his cloak. He set it on the ground, and pulled out two small packages, both wrapped in a gray cloth. He held one out in the air, and Wormtail grabbed it, making it look as though the package was floating I midair.  
  
"Open it, and eat it all," said Malgon. Wormtail then took his cloak off, and stuffed it into Malgon's pack. Wormtail opened the small bundle and found a ball of Gillyweed, looking slimy and like it was made out of rattails. He stuffed the grotesque stuff in his mouth and Malgon did the same. He chewed steadily for a moment, the Gillyweed seeping juice as he chewed. Wormtail fought the urge to vomit. But he was still able to force it al down. Malgon visibly swallowed as well, and they both dived into the water in front of them. Wormtail felt a sharp pang on the sides of his neck, and knew that gills were forming. His eyes were glassing over with a transparent shell, making it easier to see under water. His hands and feet elongated, forming long fins as they became webbed. He turned his head and saw that Malgon was already swimming down into the lake, his black robes flowing out behind him as he swam. Wormtail followed, marveling at the speed his webbed hands and feet gave him. The two Death Eaters swam into the murky water, their visibility limited despite their eye lenses. They were about thirty feet down when the bottom became visible, coming towards them. it was muddy, littered with rocks and small logs. Little bits of debris floated past him as he swam after Malgon, wondering where they were going. Malgon had mentioned something about getting help from the mer- people, and something about them knowing an under water way into the castle. Malgon held out a slip of waterproof parchment to Wormtail as they stopped, settling their webbed feet on the muddy bottom. Wormtail read the parchment.  
  
I have already spoken with the mer-people, and they have agreed to show us the way in.  
  
Well, that confirmed what Wormtail had thought. Wormtail nodded, handing the parchment back, and the two of the continued on. Several times they saw off in the distance a huge black shape swimming lazily through the water, and Wormtail knew from his previous years at Hogwarts that it was the giant squid that roamed the lake. Deeper and deeper they swam, until out of the gloom they could see small huts on the bottom of the lake, little heaps of stone with holes in them, forming the entry ways. But Wormtail knew a few things about mer-people, and that their houses actually extended far underground. Also, although they may appear to be primitive on the outside, and possessed non of the wizarding magic, they held a power of their own, closely related to that of the druids, a magic of the earth.  
  
A merman swam out from one of the stone dwellings, carrying a long spear, his tail pushing him lithely through the water. He came right up to Malgon.  
  
"Is this your companion?" asked the merman. He had grayish colored skin, and long, scraggily hair, and his tail was a sort of light purple and blue. Malgon nodded in response, and the merman began swimming off into the small mer-village.  
  
"Follow," he said, and Wormtail and Malgon swam after him, thrusting hard with their legs and hands to keep up with the merman's strokes of his powerful tail. The merman led them to a small hill that rose up out of the weed-covered ground. It seemed like a pile of stones, covered in lots of little tendrils of weeds and water grass. The pile of rocks would have seemed completely insignificant, looking just like an old mer-dwelling, were it not for the steady current that flowed out of a large hole in the top of it, causing a visibly torrent in the muddy water. The merman gestured at the hole.  
  
"This is an entry to the human castle. Down this hole, and deep into the ground," said the merman, looking don the hole himself. Wormtail supposed it was a pipe opening into the lake, from the school's plumbing. Malgon began to swim towards the tunnel, and Wormtail followed. Malgon went headfirst down into the narrow hole that seemed to lead under ground, Wormtail following. It got darker and darker as it became harder for sunlight to reach down into the pipe, and soon both Malgon and Wormtail had their wands out.  
  
"Lumos!" they both said, causing a large amount of bubbles to pour from their mouths. Their wands became lit, and they looked around at the walls of the pipe that were so close to their sides. They swam on, going vertically down, until suddenly the pipe began to level out. It stretched off into the darkness, out of site and unable to be lit by the narrow beams the wands threw off. The current was pushing them in the opposite direction they wanted to go in, making it hard to swim forward, and impossible to stop for a rest without being pushed back. Suddenly, a tiny hand grabbed out of the darkness at Wormtail's ankle, and he twisted around to see a swarm of Grindylows, little water demons, swimming at them. Wormtail brought his wand around, and aimed.  
  
"Rictusempra!" shouted Wormtail, causing bubbles to expel from his mouth. But it did the trick, and a jet of steam shot out at the pack of Grindylows, making them back away, little red welts showing on their scaled skin. The Grindylows bared their little fangs and bulged their large eyes, but didn't come any closer. Wormtail continued swimming. At times, the current became too strong to swim against, and Wormtail would reach would with his silver hand and grasp weeds that coated the inside of the pipe, and use them to push himself forward. The swimming was continuous, but after a while Wormtail saw and end to the tunnel, or a bend, and when Malgon, swimming in front of him, swam upwards, Wormtail followed. They were heading up now, and the current became very strong. They then saw the pump that was being used to expel the water. It was a valve, and every few seconds it would open, sending a gush of the current downwards, making it hard to gain any headway. But soon they reached the pump, and the tunnel took a bend, making it level out for a few feet, then came to a halt.  
  
Malgon swam forward, and when he reached a certain point, he lifted his wand and tapped the top of the tunnel. A small panel slid to the side, and light flooded the tunnel. Malgon crawled out the opening, and Wormtail followed. He immediately stopped breathing, as his gills wouldn't allow it. He pointed his wand at his throat.  
  
"Algius desertius!" croaked Wormtail, and Malgon did the same. The gills disappeared, the skin flaps dissolving back into the skin on his neck. His hands began to shrink back to their normal size, the silver one looking especially strange as it became the shape and size of a normal hand. Malgon stood off to the side, his cloak dripping, his hair plastered to his head by the water. They stood in a small room; pipes running in from the walls to connect to the pipe Wormtail and Malgon had come out of. The room smelled like water rot, and algae clung to the pipes, dripping water into large puddles on the ground.  
  
"This room is right below the dungeons," said Malgon, looking at a map he had pulled out of his water proof pouch. "If we head out through that door," he pointed to a small metal door with a latch on the other side of the room, "We can come out right under the Slytherin common room."  
  
"But what of the chamber that holds the sword?" asked Wormtail.  
  
"There is no such chamber on the blueprints, but there are a few hidden passages that lead off under a few rooms, then suddenly stop. It is my guess that they lead to the under ground cavern of Morgoth. That is where we shall find the blade." Malgon folded up the map, and put it away in the little pouch.  
  
"Sunnio!" muttered Malgon, aiming his wand at himself. He became instantly dry, the water flying off of him and into the air, becoming steam and disappearing as it drifted away. Wormtail did the same, and they went over to the small metal door, opened it and went through. They emerged into a hallway, and standing there, in long blue robes with his half moon spectacles, was Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"Shit." said Wormtail, reaching for his wand.  
A/N: Interesting twist. I have a lot more coming in the future that revolves around this little bit of plot. 


End file.
